Topsy
1852年小说《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中的奴隶女孩角色,因她对北方虔诚的废奴主义者奥菲莉娅小姐关于她出身的问题的回答而成为陈词滥调:
"Have you ever heard anything about God, Topsy?"
The child looked bewildered, but grinned, as usual.
"Do you know who made you?"
"Nobody as I knows on," said the child, with a short laugh.
The idea appeared to amuse her considerably; for her eyes twinkled, and she added--
"I spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me."
“托普西,你听说过上帝吗?”
孩子看起来很困惑,但像往常一样咧嘴笑了。
“你知道谁创造了你吗?”
“我不知道,没人告诉过我,”孩子笑了一下。
这个想法似乎让她相当开心; 她眼睛闪闪发亮,接着说——
“我想我是长出来的。没人创造我。”
除了经常被误引用为加上“just”(或“jes'”)的话外,这句话有时也被不适当地用于20世纪的写作中,以表示某些东西在没有任何人的意图下变得很大。
该词起源时间:1852年